Vendetta: They Ripped Out My Heart
by Carlee Tobin
Summary: [CHALLENGE] [ONE-SHOT] ...She lay there. Bloody. Broken. Dead. Murder, it had been /murder/. ...And they were going to pay with their lives.


**A/N: This is a Warriors challenge ( topic/121935/77824859/1/Vendetta-a-Challenge) that I decided to do: hope you like it! (All characters belong to me. c: Warriors belongs to Erin Hunter.)**

* * *

**.:Vendetta – They Ripped My Heart Out:.**

_Skypaw_

The sun was shining brightly in the blue summer sky, spreading its warming light across the bountiful lands that served as EclipseClan's territory. The meadows stretched for what seemed like miles until they merged in with the prey-filled woodlands that had grown in a large crescent shape, which cupped the grasslands near to it and beyond. A large river and its tributaries cut through the surrounding land, bringing clear, fresh water for all that lived here. Mountains could be seen in the distance – on the very horizon of this peaceful world. No other clans lived here, and badgers, foxes, and Twolegs seldom came. It was a place without fear, a place of prosperity and well-being. The greenleafs were warm, the leafbares mild. A cooling breeze whistled cheerfully through the air, rustling the leaves of the nearby trees.

EclipseClan camp was nestled on the very edge of the forest, with meadows before it and trees in all other directions. It was the perfect place for a camp, for our busy daily commotion rarely disturbed the senses of prey that preferred to hide deep in the dark forests, or far out into the vast meadows.

I padded slowly out of the apprentice's den, where I slept, yawning loudly and stretching my front paws before me, my back arched. After my morning stretches I sat down to wash, waiting as patiently as an eager apprentice could for my Clanmates to awaken, and for the patrols of the morning to be sorted out. I watched as, one by one, each of my Clan's members padded out of their dens and nests as I had and began their own stretches and washings. My own sister came bouncing out of her nest excitedly, white fur fluffed out with the thrill of our first day as apprentices. We had been appointed in the late evening, and it had been too late in the day for such young cats as we to venture about in the dark. We had yet to explore our Clan's territories for the first time, and my easily-excited sister was practically bursting with emotion, whereas I stayed still, sitting calm and collected in our camp quietly. Admittedly, I was excited as well, but I was better at containing it than my sister.

"Skypaw," she spluttered, eyes sparkling, "aren't you excited? How can you just sit there like an old, frail elder on such a day as this? We're apprentices! We're _finally _apprentices! How can you act as if nothing has happened? Ooh, what do you suppose my warrior name will be? Shorefeather? Shoresong? Oh, I do hope it has _something _to do with birds!"

I smiled at my sister's happy chatter. She did love birds so: refusing to eat them, even if they were the only prey left to eat, and there was no doubt that she wasn't going to hunt them either. When asked why she acted this way she would always reply simply, "How could I heartlessly eat something that sings so beautifully?"

My smile disappeared as I noticed movement in the corner of my eye. Turning my head around I saw our Clan's leader padding quickly toward the enormous old, moss-covered log that served as his place for Clan gatherings. The elders had many stories on how the log had gotten there, some more exaggerated and fantastical than others, but my favorite by far was the story of a giant cat bigger than a badger, who was very clumsy and always knocked things over. I loved the part when the giant cat, jumping at the sound of a dove's gentle coo, fell back into the tree and uprooted it. Embarrassed, he hid the tree underneath moss and told anyone who asked what was underneath the moss covering that a horrible monster lay beneath, so fearful that even the worst nightmare looked pitiful in comparison. Finally, a very brave cat uncovered the giant cat's fabrication, when he had decided to confront the monster and slay it for the well-being of all the creatures in the forest. The cat found not a monster beneath the moss, but a log, and he asked the giant cat about it. The giant cat, afraid he was going to be punished by the warrior, ran away and was never seen again. The warrior cat went on to become EclipseClan's first leader.

I shook my head, clearing it of distracting thoughts. I gazed up at my leader with the rest of my Clan, my eyes not flickering to the side as my sister's pelt brushed mine, nor ducking my head when my mother's tongue lapped at my ear briefly. I hoped to be deputy one day, and I thought it would be a good idea to show my respect to my leader. I would try my best, I thought to myself, and one day my life of loyalty, bravery, kindness and wisdom would be rewarded with the chance of leading my Clan, and protecting it with every claw that hid beneath the soft fur of my paws, and every sharp fang in my small mouth. Leaders are given nine lives for a reason– and how they use their lives will ultimately decide what kind of a cat they truly are. That's what my father always says. I can't help but look behind myself, finding him sitting beside my mother, his grey tabby pelt smooth and sleek, his blue eyes glittering with pride for my sister and me. My mother gave me a kind smile when she saw my face, her own fluffy white fur prickling with happiness for her kits.

"I've gathered you all here to sort out today's patrols, for, as you know, our deputy is ill," The cats gathered around the log all bowed their heads, their hearts heavy as they were reminded of their deputy's poor health. The leader continued, all eyes on him once more. "The medicine cat has diagnosed his illness as whitecough; how Honeythistle caught this sickness in late green-leaf is unknown, but Reedwillow says that our deputy will be fit and healthy by the end of the season." The cats of EclipseClan looked relieved and happy at the good news, and I saw my sister grinning beside me out of the corner of my eye.

Brackenstar made his way done the log and began choosing cats to go on the dawn and hunting patrols. Most of his words fell deafly upon my ears, drowned out by the loud chatter of my Clanmates. My sister hopped around, joining in with a conversation at random for a minute or two before moving on to another. I put back my ears, never realizing how noisy mornings were; I was usually still sleeping at this time of day, but my new rank meant new duties and more responsibility.

I saw my mentor approach me, pushing past the other cats with polite but loud, "Excuse me,"s and "Coming through,"s. Once he had reached me, his brown-striped sandy fur ruffled, he grinned in his immature way and said, "All right, then. Come on, Skypaw, it's high time you explored EclipseClan's territory!"

"Not so fast," a long-furred dark grey tom said irritably, eyes narrowed. "Brackenstar wants you two to come on our hunting patrol– your precious little apprentice can frolic about in the meadows another day."

My mentor frowned at the grey tom's harsh words, but turned to me and said, "Okay, Skypaw, change of plans; we're going on a hunting patrol! I wonder what your first catch will be? A fish? ...No, too difficult. Maybe a mouse then? Or a vole? What about a pigeon? Those are always good."

_If I caught _any _type of bird, my sister would kill me for it, _I thought to myself, mentally rolling my eyes. I followed after my mentor and the grey tom, joining up with a pretty orange-and-white she-cat. As we began to leave camp, the grey tom slowed his pace and sneered at me.

"Skypaw, huh? That's a girlie name for a tom. What's your warrior name going to be? Skyleaf? Skylily? You're never going to amount to anything with a stupid name like that. How can your enemies fear one that goes by the title of 'Skywing'?" The grey tom snickered and quickened his pace, taking up the lead of the patrol. I looked at the ground, feeling downcast.

My mentor, Ferretwhisker, was suddenly there by my side, shooting a glare at the grey tom. "I'm sorry," he said apologetically, turning to face me as we padded across the grassy meadow floor. "Stormclaw and I have a– well, I guess you could call it a rivalry."

I looked up at him, confused. What was a rivalry? Noting the look on my face, my mentor gazed ahead and explained. "It's a long story, but in short it means we... don't like each other very much. He doesn't like the fact that I'm younger than him and I already have an apprentice, and well, as you can see, he still doesn't have one."

Ferretwhisker scented the air and licked his lips. "I smell hare. Can you smell it, Skypaw?"

I took in a deep breath through my mouth, closing my eyes. I felt my mouth water as I caught a familiar scent, one I had smelled a while ago in camp. I opened my eyes and turned my head towards my mentor. "I– I smell _something_, I'm just not sure what it is. I think I've smelled it somewhere else before. Is it hare?"

"Yes," Ferretwhisker said, dipping his head. "It probably reminds you of the prey-pile, doesn't it?" I nodded my head and my mentor continued. "I'll go ask Stormclaw if we can break off from the patrol and catch it."

I watched as my mentor ran up to the older warrior. I saw their mouths moving and I could hear their muffled voices– it would've been all too easy for my sensitive ears to eavesdrop on them, but I decided not to listen in. Ferretwhisker would give me Stormclaw's answer, and that was all I needed to know.

It wasn't long before my mentor returned to my side, one of his immature grins spread across his face. Just by looking at him I could tell Stormclaw had given my mentor his consent, if not a little grudgingly. "Well," Ferretwhisker said triumphantly, "he said we can. Now let's go before it hops away to hide! There's nothing like a good hare for breakfast."

My mentor sniffed, his nose held up high. Then he suddenly bolted in one direction, leaving me behind in the dust, a little bewildered. I snapped out of my trance and raced after him, my small paws pounding heavily against the earthen ground, my chest heaving as I pressed on, trying to keep up with my mentor. I soon spotted him, standing, smiling sheepishly in my direction. Once I was beside him, panting loudly, he apologized to me for the second time that morning.

"Eh, sorry there, little guy, didn't mean to run off like that– I get carried away sometimes. The excitement before the chase can be unbearable, huh?" He nudged me with a paw, grinning once again. I stared up at him with wide eyes, not fully understanding the meaning of Ferretwhisker's joy.

A movement in the tall, golden grass to our right caught our attention. My ears perked up and I turned my head in the direction of the noise. A funny-looking animal stood there, nibbling in a hurried way on a blade of meadow grass. It had reddish-brown fur with some darker brown and grey hairs, and a white chest, belly, and bobtail. It's long ears stuck up in the air as it listened for danger. I stayed still because of this, my feline instinct warning me to be quiet and still.

"That's a hare," my mentor hissed to me in a low whisper. "They rely mostly on their sense of hearing to spot you, but that doesn't mean they can't see you either... You have to go into a low crouch, like this," Ferretwhisker said, demonstrating a hunter's crouch. "If you keep your body low and your paw-steps silent, it will be almost impossible for prey to detect you. Now I'll show you a hunter's crouch in action, and after I've caught the hare we can practice it together, all right?"

I nodded, my mouth twitching upward in a muffled smile. _Ferretwhisker has much confidence that he will catch the hare_, I thought to myself, _but what if the hare got away? Would we still practice the hunter's crouch? _I mused over this idea, for it was very funny to me, before I suddenly realized my mentor was ahead of me now, creeping up to the hare stealthily. I felt a sudden pang of sadness for the hare, knowing that it would be dead soon, but I ignored it: our Clan needed prey in order to survive.

My mentor readied himself to jump once he felt he was close enough to the prey, rocking his haunches from side to side. Suddenly he sprang at the hare, which managed to bolt just in time. Ferretwhisker landed on all four paws, right in the exact spot the hare had been just moments before. Growling in frustration, my mentor dashed after the hare, twisting and turning as it ran in all directions, desperate to lose him. Finally, when my mentor was just inches from the hare, he sprang in the air and landed right over the hare, giving it a quick bite to the back of its neck.

I raced up to my mentor, who was quite a distance away, mewling excitedly like I was a kit again, and only beasts who naturally have quick-tongued languages could have understood my blabbering as I admired my mentor's skillful catch. He puffed out his chest and gave a cocky smile, answering all my questions I had about hares: some of his replies were based off of his own knowledge; others were based off of his own imagination.

"Do hares eat fish?" I asked, slightly surprised at myself for losing my cool as well as for being so interested in hares, though I suppose that was moreover because I'd never seen a hare before in my entire life, not a live one at least.

"Fish?" my mentor echoed, pondering my question as he weighed his answering options. "Er, well of course hares eat fish! It's, uh... It's how they get their bad smell."

I cocked my head to one side, about to ask my mentor another question when a voice called us, causing our heads to whip around to see Shorepaw with her own mentor, a blue-grey she-cat that went by the name of Nightlark.

Shorepaw tumbled down one of the rolling hills that coated the meadow, sliding to a stop at my and Ferretwhisker's paws. She looked up at us, eyes sparkling like twin gems, filled with a playful light. She got up, shook her dusty fur out, and grinned at me before peering over my shoulder to look at the hare. She sat down in front of me and said happily, "Oh, Skypaw! Did _you _catch that all by yourself? And to think the elders always said they were hard!"

I smiled back at my sister and replied, "They _are _hard to catch, and no I didn't catch it, Ferretwhisker did."

"Oh," my sister said, grinning with embarrassment. "Well, it's a lovely catch," she said to Ferretwhisker, praise in her voice. I dared not speak my thoughts aloud then, as my mentor puffed out his chest again, but my sister almost sounded as if he were her own apprentice, and she was his mentor. The very idea made my mouth twitch upward._  
_

My sister went back to me and said, "Oh it's wonderful in the forest! You haven't been there yet, have you? Well, it's simply marvelous! There are so many birds singing in the trees–"

"–and you wouldn't let me catch a single one," finished Nightlark, smiling as she finally caught up with my hyperactive sister. "Honestly, this little kiddo isn't exactly cut out for warrior life. She likes birds too much, if you ask me."

Shorepaw glared at her mentor. "I can be a good warrior!" she retorted. Then she perked up again, looking cheerful now. "I hope I catch a vole; I like voles." My sister closed her eyes and licked her lips, savoring delicious memories only she could see.

My mentor walked back to his catch and picked it up by the back of its neck, padding over to me and dropping it temporarily to speak. "Sorry, Nightlark, Shorepaw," he began, dipping his head in their direction, "but we've got to catch up with Stormclaw and Firelily before those two get too far ahead. We really only broke off of the main patrol to catch this here hare," my mentor said, pushing the hare forward with a paw.

"My, my, Ferretwhisker, that looks good!" Nightlark exclaimed. "Nice catch," she added, rubbing his nose with hers.

"Yuck," I said, lolling my tongue. As Nightlark turned to leave, my mentor blushed from head to tail, his face beaming with ecstasy.

Finally, he looked away from the shrinking forms of Nightlark and my sister, and he picked up his hare once again. "Sorry," he said, his voice muffled by the hare, "I just can't believe she did that. Do you suppose she _likes _me?"

I looked up at my mentor as we padded in the direction our patrol had gone. "How would I know? I think it's gross, her kissing you like that." I pulled a disgusted face and my mentor laughed, nearly dropping the hare.

"Heh, I'm sure you'll think differently once you're a warrior like me," he said, giving me a teasing grin. "Come on, let's go see who can get to Stormclaw's patrol first!"

"Hey, no fair!" I whined, racing after my longer-limbed mentor.

* * *

The hunting patrol had gone well, and we now had lots of prey to bring back to our Clan. I beamed over the mouse and sparrow that I held in my mouth, admiring the beauty of the surrounding trees. Shorepaw would probably cry and reprimand me harshly for killing the small brown-speckled bird, but I was willing to put up with her scathing looks, for it had been my first catch ever. Surely she would make an exception for that? I honestly doubted it, but I was hoping to avoid a moon's worth of the silent treatment.

My mentor proudly boasted a hare and two squirrels beside me, practically strutting as he showed off his catches. Stormclaw, who was up in front as usual, scowled over his thrush and vole. Firelily, the orange-and-white she-cat, looked a little tired after chasing down two hares and a mouse. My mentor and I were in the back of the patrol once again, but we didn't mind.

Suddenly, Stormclaw stopped dead in his tracks, dropping his prey. Firelily and Ferretwhisker repeated the latter action and raced over to him, trying to see what was wrong, before they too froze, unmoving.

I placed down my prey, a little worried by their strange actions. I began padding up to them cautiously. "Guys, why–"

"Don't come over here, Skypaw," my mentor said, his voice strangely flat.

Firelily turned to me and sat down in front of me, placing her fluffy patched tail on my shoulder. "It's okay, Skypaw, why don't you just go back to camp on another pathway, all right?"

"What are you guys hiding from me?" I murmured, my voice barely audible.

The orange-and-white she-cat spoke in a hushed voice, and I could see tears in her eyes. "Shh, it's all right, we're not hiding anything from you. Now–" My shoulders tensed, and I prepared myself to bolt. Firelily saw the look of curious stubbornness in my eyes and narrowed her own. "No Skypaw! You mustn't–"

I ran forward, Firelily's mouth just barely missing my scruff. I came to a stop beside Stormclaw, who had stayed completely still this entire time, his face solemn. I looked at him as my mentor padded past me out of the corner of my eye. I realized I was afraid to look in the direction Ferretwhisker was going, a small sense of dread nipping at my heart.

"S-Stormclaw," I stuttered nervously, "w-what's wr-wrong?"

The grey tom looked at me, his gaze cold and hard. "Look for yourself, Skypaw. There's no use in hiding the inevitable."

I turned my head, curious about and scared of what I might see.

My heart froze.

Nightlark was laying on the ground, a nasty cut on her forehead. Ferretwhisker was bending over her, trying to help the she-cat get to her paws. And there, lying in a bloody patch of moss...

...was Shorepaw.

My little sister, my littermate, my best friend.

She lay there.

Bloody.

Broken.

...Dead.

My legs shook as I approached her body, so tiny and frail-looking in death. I stopped before her, hot tears burning like acid in my eyes, threatening to pour down my face. My vision blurred as I looked upon my sister, fluffy fur matted with blood and dirt.

My sparrow lay far behind me. Now my catch, once an object of pride, felt like a sin. A sin against my sister, who had always loved birds. I felt selfish as I gazed upon her, as I looked back at past actions, past memories. All my previous decisions felt wrong. I'd wanted to be leader. My sister had wanted to be a medicine cat; a secret she had only revealed to me.

She'd wanted to be a medicine cat.

Reedwillow already had an apprentice. Her greatest wish, her biggest hope in life, snuffed out just like that.

She would be alive, if she were Reedwillow's apprentice. Safe in the medicine cat's den, learning about the different herbs. She wouldn't be lying here in front of me, her body twisted and bloody, scratches ripping through her cloud-white fur.

She'd wanted to be a medicine cat.

She had been willing to give up the chance to love another, separate herself from her Clanmates, for the own good of her Clan.

I wanted to be leader. Just like everyone else.

She never got to catch her vole.

The thought struck me suddenly, piercing my heart like a thorn.

She had so much to live for.

Why her?

I heard Nightlark's voice, explaining what had happened. I wouldn't have been able to hear her words, even if I'd tried. It was just me and my sister, who lay as silent and still as a stone.

I put a paw on her chest, hoping. Hoping to feel the little rise and fall of her gentle breathing.

I felt nothing but the cold feeling of death.

A memory flashed in my mind and I heard an echo of her voice.

_"It's wonderful in the forest!"_

Why were the fates so cruel?

She had died in the place she loved.

Her last moments must of been horrible, I think as I stare at her face, her unseeing eyes wide with terror.

She had felt so much pain in her last moments.

She'd never deserved that kind of pain.

So gentle.

So kind.

So small.

Why her?

She had wanted to be a medicine cat, to catch a vole, to receive her warrior name.

She would never experience any of that now.

Why?

I rolled that question over in my mind. Who would want to do something so cruel, so heartless, so evil? I sighed and inhaled deeply, trying to calm my pounding heart.

My head shot up from its bowed position, and my eyes glowed with an intense inner fire as I took in a scent. _Cat. _A cat had done this.

Murder.

My claws unsheathed, digging into the blood-soaked earth beneath my paws. My teeth grit, bared in a snarl.

My sister had been _murdered_.

Ice froze over my heart as a demonic rage flared inside me, hatred burning like acidic flames in my heart, in my mind.

They would _pay_.

The anger inside me burned on as I closed my eyes and scented the air over my sister's wounds. I took in her murderer's scent, savoring it, remembering it. My eyes opened, my pupils slits.

They would pay with their _lives_.

A cool breeze blew, whistling mournfully as it brushed past me. I shivered, noticing for the first time the quiet and stillness of the usually life-filled forest. As quickly as they had come, my rage and hatred abandoned me, leaving me empty and cold. I buried my nose into my sister's fur and cried shamelessly as loss overwhelmed my senses, hopelessness not far behind.

I felt lost.

I felt alone.

I felt as if I had fallen from the sky.

My mentor's paw brought me back to the waking world, out of the cold, dark world of despair. I looked up at him with my tear-streaked face, and he helped me up. As we joined with Nightlark, Stormclaw, and Firelily, he began to speak in a soothing tone, but his words were lost on me. Tears continued to roll down my face as I watched Stormclaw and Nightlark carry my sister's body. Firelily blocked my view of them with her tail, and I did not brush it away.

My world had fallen apart, my heart felt like it had been ripped out and torn to pieces. I had nothing to live for...

...nothing but revenge for my sister's death.

The thought gave me a little hope. I stared up at the clear blue sky, and noticed the full, green leaves on the thick trunks of the trees around me. I walked with the others back to camp, and moments before we broke through the forest greenery on the edge of the woodlands I heard the trill of a sparrow as it took up a sad, slow song.

The birds were singing for my sister.

She had always loved the birds.

* * *

**A/N: Longest. One-shot. Ever (it's a 4,647 word monster!). xD I apologize for it, but I felt a great need to introduce the characters before I got around to the actual "vendetta" part. :P I hope you liked it, nonetheless! The last half was actually surprisingly fun to write.**

**I'd love some insight. :D I have trouble with writing emotions, especially "sad", so I'd love it if you could tell me how I did with this: I probably won't change this story, but I'll definitely keep any advice or commentary in mind for future fictions.**

**And what did you think of the characters in my story? Would you like to hear more about them again?**

**Thank you,**

**Cybug**


End file.
